Being There

I was just signing into the prison when the call came in. And suddenly the planned morning of a drill with the prison staff was gone as all of our pagers went off. Running for the engine I jumped in and buckled up as we made our way to a suspected drug overdose with lights and sirens parting the way ahead. With the police directing us in we grabbed gear and raced into the house to find the deputy doing CPR. Quickly taking over the team set up monitors and the AED as they fought to save the young man's life. With everything inside being handled, I walked out to comfort the victim's brother who was crouched on the ground sobbing. Over the next 20 minutes I listened for the sounds that would indicate that there had been any response to CPR as I knelt on the ground giving what comfort I could to a broken hearted brother. When the news came that the victim could not be revived, my eyes filled with tears as I remembered the moment I was told that my sister had died. My heart broke for him as I thought about the hard road that would lay ahead for he and his family. As I knelt in the dirt I was stricken with the senseless loss of this young man's life. Stricken with the brokenness and heartache that was in store for his parents and family as they were given the news. Stricken with knowing there was little I could do to alleviate the pain the brother was now experiencing. All I could do is kneel in the dirt, wrap my arms around his shoulders and grieve with him. As I have thought about it, I guess that is really all we are called to do. To be there, to offer love and compassion and to let them know that they are not alone. Because when it comes right down to it, everything else is God's job. And I have to be willing to give Him room to work. I just need to be there .... Just Connie